!!!!Meet The 17-Year-Old Who Blew The Lid Off Racial Profiling With His iPod

http://www.upworthy.com/meet-the-17-year-old-who-blew-the-lid-off-racial-profiling-with-his-ipod?c=reccon1

This is a totally different topic than what we have been discussing in class. Watching this video made me so conflicted with what I thought about racial profiling from the perspective of law enforcement. On one hand people of a minority race have to deal with being pulled over and searched mainly because of their race, but on the other hand police officers are trying to meet a quota that threatens their lively hood. What is right and what wrong? Obviously the police officer that was recorded was way out of line and abused his powers, but does his actions represent all officers? What role does the quota play in an officers actions? What do you think the officers should do? Even though the officers have to deal with a quota, are their justifications valid? Here is the 2012-2013 demographics of NYC.

Population By Races

Race Population % of Total Total Population 19,378,102 100 White 12,740,974 65 Hispanic or Latino 3,416,922 17 Black or African American 3,073,800 15 Some Other Race 1,441,563 7 Asian 1,420,244 7 Two or More Races 585,849 3 American Indian 106,906 < 1% Three or more races 42,944 < 1% Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander 8,766 < 1% Native Hawaiian 1,802 < 1% Alaska Native tribes 283 < 1%

http://suburbanstats.org/population/how-many-people-live-in-new-york

I'm a little upset that I found this video so late in the semester because I want to have a in-class discussion on this but the only class we have is the final. Maybe an online discussion?



 

16 Things You Should Never Say To Mixed-Race People

http://www.buzzfeed.com/video/micaela/16-things-you-should-never-say-to-mixed-race-people

A girl from my high school posted this on Facebook and said "welcome to my life". The video gives an insight into some of the things that mixed-race people have to deal with.

I wanted to post a blog on this video because I though it gave a perspective that really dived into the reality of someone that is mixed-race or a minority race. It scratches the surface of stupid questions, assumptions, and clueless remarks that people make about someones skin color or characteristics. I have personally experienced some of the scenarios acted out in the video, and I thought it was awesome to see someone find the video and voice out their opinion to a social setting.

In response to the post one person said "is there any way to ask someone about their ethnicity or race without being offensive?" Then another girl answered his questions by posting a link called, How to Ask Someone About Their Ethnicity Without Being an Asshole. 

http://jezebel.com/how-to-ask-someone-about-their-ethnicity-without-being-758679070

The author of the article is very sarcastic and blunt, but she makes some good points on how to address a persons curiosity about another person's ethnicity or race. I personally feel that both links work well together because one presents the problem and the other presents a solution to the problem.

Let me know what you think!!

   

Culture of One

The culture of one exercise that was done in class a few weeks ago caused me to stop and think in ways I have not thought in quite a while. What is it that makes me who I am? Am I a product of my environment, my family, my education? What is it that causes me to believe the things I believe and act the way I act?

After some thought I realized that many things cause me to be the person I am. These things range from my family and friends, where I grew up, my hobbies, such as sports and dance, and my education. However, the thing that has influenced me most is my religion.

I grew up in a Christian home and went to the same tiny Presbyterian church my whole life. My church family was a huge support for me throughout my life, and my youth pastor became my mentor throughout high school. However, none of this has had the impact on my life the way my relationship with Jesus has. I have learned through good and bad times, through depression and love, through heartbreak and joy, that no matter what I gain or lose, God remains constant. He is the only consistent thing in my life; the only one who I know will never change or fade away.
This strength in the promise of who God is has shaped me more than anything else in my life. Even when I change, God does not. Even when I do not want to go on, Jesus gives me a purpose for living. I am nothing without Him, and there is more freedom in this than I can express. I do not have to be a certain way with God. When I live my life in and through and for Him, I can fully be me. By giving my life to Him, by losing my own life, I become alive. I become whole only by letting go of all.

If there is anything that has made me who I am, it is Jesus, and I would have it no other way.  

Model Minorities Fighting the Master Narrative

In this work, three men challenge the master narrative that is imposed on American history through textbooks and through the stories that are told to us every day.  They publicly denounce the fact that many Americans are being kept ignorant about the plight of Asian Americans in history, especially in terms of erasing the Japanese internment during World War II from textbooks.  They want people to know them for more than Pearl Harbor.

The three men protest other aspects of our society.  By being called Asian Americans, they feel displaced; they are called Asians in America, and in Asia they are called Americans, so where do they belong? Another aspect they decry is that there is a model minority myth.
I appreciate the fact that they included Indian Americans (I say this for distinction alone; I know that they can be called simply "Americans") when they speak of the model minority myth.

The tape across the mouths of the people in the video represents the fact that until now, Asian Americans have been relatively silent and have flown under the radar of CRT, but now must make themselves known.  The singers are imploring other Americans whose heritage is from Asia or India to speak out.  Most Americans, due to the black-white binary, are fully aware of the civil rights movement and understand the purpose of gaining rights for black people in ghettos and making their educational experience better.  But what about the Asian and Indian Americans that are slumped into that category simply because of their minority status? Their history and narrative are far different than African Americans'.  They often are well-educated and self-sufficient, which leads to the myth of the model minority.  They must be treated as a separate entity from African Americans.  It was awesome to hear these men's side of the story; I will try to avoid labeling people as "Asian American" in the future, because until now, I never thought that it would make them feel alienated.  I always considered it a sort of sign of respect.  This class is helping me to understand other cultures more thoroughly.

Racist and Sexist Comments Cause CBS to Fire Don Imus

Don Imus, a radio voice for CBS for almost 30 years was fired after making a comment about the Rutgers woman's basketball team. The team had just lost their national championship game, and Imus, while commenting on the game, called the women on the team, "nappy-headed hos". The radio world heard this and quickly responded with outrage and anger. CBS fired him almost immediately, though he was in the middle of a two day radio fundraising event. The article I will attach to the bottom this post quotes Sharpton (another radio host) saying, "He says he wants to be forgiven, I hope he continues in that process. But we cannot afford a precedent established that the airways can commercialize and mainstream sexism and racism." Though there are many supporters of Imus, I am thankful that a majority of the radio world responded to Imus the way they did. Though he made many apologies to the Rutgers team, they did not officially forgive him. I am sure that many radio hosts took note of this event and are now all the more careful to be aware of what they say. Even the most experienced radio voices can mess up, but when it is a comment this vulgar, it is hard to forgive, and the CBS made the choice to rid their show of Imus rather than face the consequences of letting such a comment slide.

 http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/04/13/don-imus-fired-by-cbs-radio-for-racist-comments-one-day-after-msnbc-drops-show/

Perpetuating Stereotypes with Humor

This video is only one of a myriad of examples of the way in which our society perpetuates stereotypes through humor.  In the video, Bon Qui Qui, an American of Mexican heritage, is portrayed in a working class job at "King Burger." She is repeatedly characterized as lazy, unknowledgeable, absurd, and even hostile to customers at several points.  These are all stereotypes that have been liberally applied to Mexican people throughout American history.  Bon Qui Qui's character also shows the ostensible markers of what people think when they see Mexicans:  her hairdo, makeup, and nails took a great deal of care for her to do, but they look ridiculous and set her apart from the rest of the people we see.  Her manner of speech is another facet of Bon Qui Qui's character that stands out from others.

Another character that shows a distinct stereotype held by many Americans is the character of Duayne, Bon Qui Qui's African American crush.  His appearance is stereotypical for black men:  his shirt is a white wife-beater, his jeans are saggy, and his hair is done in corn rows. I would like to point out that their only interaction consists of rapping and dancing, two activities that people in minorities are renowned for.  In addition, in Bon Qui Qui's rap, she mentions the fact that Duayne is on house arrest and already has two strikes; this only bolsters the idea of black men belonging in prison.

A third character that jumps out at me is Bon Qui Qui's boss; he is shown as the subordinate of a white, middle-aged male; why did the producers chose him to be the boss? The answer is that the stereotypical person in power in our culture is indeed a white man in his 40's.  However, one should notice that this stereotype does not apply to the most ostentatiously powerful man in America (and the world?), Barack Obama.  That stereotype is perhaps not as justified as one might think and it should be adjusted.

My main point is that, while this skit is funny and extremely quotable, it does nothing to help the plight of Mexican Americans or African Americans.  It only serves to entrench ideas of traditional stereotypes in the minds of those who do not know any better.

The Effect of One Juror

A recent study of race and jury trials done in Florida had astounding findings.  When juries are made up solely of white people, they convict black people 16% more often than they convict white people.  They also found that one black juror’s presence in the jury box brings the conviction rate of blacks back down to that of whites.  The inclusion of one black person in the proceedings completely erased the discrepancy!

In application, one looks back to previous trials and wonders how this could have played a role in tragic trials such as the recent Zimmerman trial.  In this case of the murder of a black teenager on the basis of his appearance, the jury was made up of five white women and one Hispanic woman; by all rights, a black juror should have had a place in the proceedings and decision-making.  We are guaranteed an “impartial jury” by the Constitution, so is it not a failure on the part of the court system to not have people of various backgrounds in the jury box rather than white people only in this case?

So why has this not changed? Because jurors are chosen, not from the victim's, but from the defendant's peers.  Zimmerman is Latino, which is considered white: thus, the strategic choice of jurors.  I have recently learned in my business law class that the defense has the right, called peremptory challenge, to strike any potential juror from the list of possible jurors before a trial for any reason except race (but they can find other reasons to state in order to get rid of a possible juror of the wrong ethnicity).  This is a structural deficiency in our justice system.  The only approach that seems to be counteracting this is by Chicago's new top federal judge, Chief Judge Ruben Castillo, to cast a wider net for jurors into poorer communities and actively demonstrating the value of jury service to minority communities.

Sources:

http://bigthink.com/praxis/the-quiet-racism-in-the-zimmerman-trial
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/21813399-418/new-top-federal-judge-increases-efforts-to-get-more-black-and-latino-jurors.html